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Ricoh Six
}} The Ricoh Six is a Japanese 6×6 folder. It was made from 1952, , p.372, mentions a May 1952 article about the camera. The release year is given as 1952 in , item 1413, and in , p.831. It is given as 1953 by mistake in "Rikō 6", p.45 of no.14, and in this page of the Ricoh website. by Riken's subsidiary Asahi Seimitsu, which was in charge of camera development at the time, before it was merged in 1953 into its parent company Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō. Description The Ricoh Six is a horizontal folding camera. The folding struts are inspired by the Ikonta. The top plate has a chrome finish, with the tubular optical finder in the middle. The advance knob, placed at the left end, has two arrows to indicate the winding direction and a round piece of leather. On the left of the finder, there is an accessory shoe and a button to release the folding bed. There is a body release and a leather-covered film retaining flange at the right end of the top plate. The name RICOH SIX and the serial number are engraved to the right of the finder. The name is repeated on the leatherette covering of the front door. The camera can take 6×6 or 4.5×6 pictures with an exposure mask. The back is hinged to the right and contains two red windows placed in the middle, one above the other. They are protected by sliding covers, engraved 4.5X6 and 6X6. Indications of the format (6×6 or 4.5×6) are also embossed in the leatherette covering, under the levers controlling the red window covers. The lens is a three-element C. Orinar Anastigmat 80mm f/3.5. Three elements: this page of the Ricoh website. The shutter gives B, 25, 50, 100 speeds and is engraved RIKEN at the bottom of the speed rim. It is synchronized via an ASA bayonet post and has a distant release connection. Production The Ricoh Six was featured in a column of the May 1952 issue of . , p.372. This article reportedly mentions a Ricoh 80/3.5 lens, but this lens name has not been observed so far. Ricoh 80/3.5 lens: , p.372, certainly after the May 1952 article in . Some sources say that the camera body was bought from a sub-contractor. "Rikō 6", p.45 of no.14, see also this page of the Ricoh website. The lens was made by Fujita Kōgaku This page of the Ricoh website. and the Riken shutter was the same as mounted on the Ricohflex III, IV, VI and VII. The Ricoh Six was mainly sold in the PX shops of the occupying American army in Japan. "Rikō 6", p.45 of no.14. It is said that it cost ¥6,800. "Rikō 6", p.45 of no.14, and this page of the Ricoh website. It seems more common in the USA than in Japan. All the examples observed so far are identical. The known serial numbers have four digits in the 1xxx and 2xxx range (lowest is 1118, highest is 2953), in a sequence probably starting at 1001. The numbers on the Orinar lenses are more or less in the same range (lowest is 1185, highest is 3731). The total production was probably around 2,000 or 3,000 units. Notes Bibliography * Item 1001. (This book shows no advertisement for the Ricoh Six.) * P.831. * "Rikō 6" (リコー6, Ricoh Six) P.45. * Item 1413. Links In English: * Ricoh Six in a photo.net post * Ricoh Six at medfmt * Ricoh Six at butkus.org * Folding cameras at Nekosan's website, with a Ricoh Six * Ricoh Six at Random Camera Blog In French: * More pictures: Ricoh Six in a flickr post In Japanese: * Ricoh Six in the Ricoh camera list at the Ricoh official website (picture copied in this page of the Kitamura Camera Museum, with wrong specifications) * Ricoh Six in the All Japan Classic Camera Club site Category: Japanese 6x6 viewfinder folding Category: Ricoh Category: R Six, Ricoh